Dokic's dad charged over ambassador death threats

Published: Friday, May 22, 2009, 16:08 [IST]

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Ruma (Serbia), May 22 (ANI): Damir Dokic, the infamous dad of Australian tennis star Jelena Dokic, has been charged with threatening to endanger the safety of the Australian ambassador to Serbia and illegal bomb possession.

The charges carry maximum jail terms of one and eight years respectively.

A Serbian magistrate is due to hear Dokic's bail application tonight (Australian time) after prosecutors in the town of Ruma filed the charges against him overnight, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.

Magistrate Borislav Rakinic earlier refused Dokic's application for the investigation to be halted and for him to be freed from Sremska Mitrovica prison.

Under Serbian law, suspects can be held without charge for up to 30 days.

Damir was arrested at his hillside mansion in the northern Serbian town of Vrdnik on May 6. A police raid on his home uncovered two illegal nail bombs, 20 illegal bullets, seven legally owned hunting rifles and a Beretta pistol.

He had earlier told Serbian media he would blow up the Australian ambassador to Serbia if she did nothing to stop Australian media reports that he had beaten his daughter while he was her tennis coach.

An embassy official has told the Ruma Magistrates Court that Dokic phoned the embassy threatening to kill the ambassador, whom he did not name.

After the phone call, Ambassador Clare Birgin sent an urgent note about the alleged incident to Serbian police which sparked the raid on the wealthy brandy manufacturer's property.

Dokic's lawyer Bosiljka Djukic has described the alleged threats as "a misunderstanding" and said the bombs were "souvenirs from the war in Croatia". (ANI)